


Late Nights and Tired Eyes

by JustAndrea



Series: The Awesome Redemption Arc [3]
Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Comforting, Gen, Late night talks, Mentions of alcohol, also lots of Awesome headcanons, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 20:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8910433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: Sometimes the most unexpected conversations can also be the most helpful ones...





	

_Burning heat… Sharp rock… Boiling lava… A cruel laugh… No way out… **No way out… NO WAY-!**_

Awesome jolted awake, his eyes wide as he stared up at the pink colored ceiling (better than it being black or orange, at least). A drop of sweat rolled down his snout, but he quickly wiped it away. “Grop…” he sighed, turning to his side.

…Well, at the very least he had broken his record. His last nightmare was, what, two and a half weeks ago? Just a couple days or so before he had been sent on his first mission? He had gone quite a while without one, so that was at least something, he supposed. Still, with familiar yet terrifying images still in the back of his mind, Awesome couldn’t really find much good in congratulating himself. He did, however, know how he could temporarily forget.

Sitting up, he swung his legs over the bed, and relaxed slightly at the touch of the cool floor. He enjoyed it for just a moment before slipping on his boots and standing up, leaving his bedroom. 

…Unfortunately, about fifteen minutes later, the former emperor was still walking, and was now more aggravated than anxious. 

“Come on,” he mumbled, “Hatey’s pool has to be down this way. I was sure of it!” He turned another corner, and found yet another hallway that barely managed to look different from all the others. 

“Ughhh…” Stupid Skullship… It may have had a lot of great features, but those awesome rooms didn’t really matter if he couldn’t find them! His own limo-ship might have been big, but at least it was linear and made it easy to find the rooms! …Though, he could admit that perhaps being tired and still a bit on edge wasn’t exactly helping him find his way either. “Gah, whatevs. I just need to find something. _Anything…_ ” he told himself as he continued to walk. 

Well, luck must have been on his side somewhat, because after several more minutes, he stumbled upon what looked like a bar. …A fairly cheap, Watchdog themed bar, but a bar nonetheless.

It was sorta hidden away, kept in a dark corner and being not too noisy or noticeable. The smell of alcohol (as well as, for some reason, the smell of coffee) were present, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and a soft, jazzy tune was the only background music provided. Definitely different from the bars Awesome usually went to. Though, the soldiers in the bar didn’t seem too depressed or anything like that, at least. They were just chilling out and having a drink. 

A trio of Watchdogs sat at a table, quietly chatting as they sipped their refreshments. Another couple Watchdogs were sitting at the counter, with one keeping his head low and the other watching a rerun of ‘The Eye on the Skullship’ on the small, low-res TV stuck up in the corner. As for the bartender Watchdog, he just worked on cleaning the used glasses and polishing up the ones that hadn’t been used yet. He glanced over at Awesome for just a moment before going back to work. It wasn’t exactly welcoming him in, but not glaring at him to leave either. So, Awesome walked inside and sat down at a bar stool, sighing slightly in relief.

“What can I get ya?” The bartender asked, glancing up at him again. The shark-man took a moment to think. He didn’t think that a place like this would have margaritas or pina coladas or anything like that. Plus, it’s not like he wanted to get wasted or anything, he just wanted to relax. 

“Just give me whatever your standard drink is, bro,” he finally replied, resting his arms on the dark red counter-top, “One glass.” The bartender nodded and grabbed a bottle of what looked like Fud Light and poured it into a glass. 

Awesome rolled his eyes slightly - cheap beer, seriously? - but took it anyway. He did say he’d take anything, after all. So, he swirled the brown liquid slightly in his hand before taking a couple sips, not even noticing the eye that was now staring at him just a couple seats away…

Honestly, if anyone had told Peepers that there would be a time where he _wouldn’t_ be completely annoyed and aggravated at sharing a space with Emperor Awesome, he would’ve either called them delusional or just laugh in their face. But, sure enough, there they were, sitting together with Peepers not even being angry enough to leave. Though, part of him was still sort of grateful that the shark hadn’t noticed him yet. He still didn’t consider them as ‘friends’. Far from it, in fact. In Peepers’ view, they were just barely allies. …Even if Awesome had been showing him just the tiniest bit of respect lately… 

But even so, allies couldn’t be completely trusted - at least, not in the commander’s opinion - especially if they were former enemies. That was why as soon as their new recruit had moved in, Peepers had requested any and all security footage of him from then on, just to make sure his motives for joining the empire were true and he wasn’t up to anything fishy. …No pun intended. 

Unsurprisingly, he ended up learning quite a bit about Awesome, though none of it was really incriminating. A good portion of the footage he saw revealed that the new recruit still got lost in the ship sometimes, but his sense of direction wasn’t quite as bad as Hater’s used to be. Sometimes he would catch Awesome in the food court, complaining about how they didn’t serve nearly enough sea food, or trying to convince the workers there to give him seconds.

Other times, he would see footage of him just lazily swimming in the pool or soaking in the hot tub. A bit annoying, since Peepers hated it when his soldiers just laid around, but again it wasn’t technically ‘wrong’. Occasionally, Awesome would head over to one of the many computers on the ship, but would stop himself before he ever got on one. Still afraid of seeing all the bad press he’d gotten, probably… A couple times, the cameras revealed a tired Awesome sneaking into the kitchen after hours and making himself tea of all things (seaweed tea, specifically), always looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was catching him making such an ‘uncool’ drink. 

If the shark-man was ever angry about something, he usually either went to the gym to wail on a punching bag, or to his room where he would proceed to put on some _very_ loud music and dance his frustrations and anger away. Peepers didn’t really understand it, but it was better than him destroying property or taking his frustrations out on the other Watchdogs.

Other instances though, if he was more stressed or bored than angry, he’d use the ship’s pep rally stage and dance to something a bit more classical sounding. He’d perform a ballet routine or a jazz dance routine or something along those lines, just something that he would have to be precise with in every move and step. Definitely a far cry from his usual style of dancing. To help him try to focus or relax, perhaps? That was Peepers’ best guess. Either way, it was still even more surprising than the tea thing that Awesome would even know classical forms of dance let alone practice it. But, he supposed that if it was one of the skills that the former emperor prided himself on the most, it would make sense that he would know and be a master at multiple styles.

Yes, the commander had learned quite a bit about the former emperor in the last month and a half. And so, he had a pretty good idea why Awesome was wandering around the halls and drinking in the middle of the night…

 _*beep beep beep*_ A light beeping made Peepers blink and Awesome flinch slightly. The bartender on the other hand just sat down his glass and strolled over to the coffee machine, pouring out a mug. “Here ya go, Commander,” he said with a nod, setting it in front of Peepers. As soon as he heard that title, Awesome immediately looked over.

Peepers held back a sigh. “Thanks,” he muttered, picking up his cup. By the time he finished his long sip and opened his eye, Awesome was sitting next to him.

“Huh, never would’ve expected to see you at a bar,” he said, still a bit surprised but trying to be casual, “When did you even get here?”

“Long before you came,” Peepers answered, taking another sip.

“What, and you didn’t say hi?” Awesome asked, smirking a bit. Peepers just rolled his eye. “Heh. …So, what, you only come here so you can get fresh coffee?”

“Well, that’s one of the reasons,” he answered, setting his mug back down, “Though I did have an actual drink earlier, just because I felt like drinking something with a bit more flavor. But, I still have work to do.”

“Hence the ‘sobering up’?” Honestly, with how clear minded the guy already looked and and sounded, Awesome didn’t think he needed the coffee at all. Then again, depending on how long the workaholic Watchdog was planning on staying up, maybe he did need the caffeine. “Geez, Peepsqueak. Even when you try to loosen up a bit, you still can’t totally cut loose.”

Peepers scoffed. “It isn’t a matter of whether or not I can ‘cut loose’. I just have a better work ethic than anyone else on this ship. And if I have the time to finish something, then I will.” He looked away and raised as mug again, though before it touched his eyelid, he mumbled, “Might as well while I still have work to do…”

Awesome blinked. “…And, just what is that supposed to mean?”

Peepers froze for a moment, then sat down his drink. “What are you doing here, anyway?” he asked suddenly.

“I, uh- Just, you know, needed to relax too,” Awesome answered, glancing away, “I mean- The beds here. They, like, totally suck. Impossible to get a good night’s sleep, you know? Might want to look into that.”

“They seem fine to me,” Peepers answered quietly, continuing to play innocent for now, “Maybe there’s something else that’s preventing you from sleeping?”

“Not that I could think of,” he retorted before lifting up his glass and chugging the rest of his cheap beer, shivering slightly when it hit his stomach. Had this been any other situation, Peepers would’ve been angry at being lied to. But, considering what the lie was trying to hide, maybe he couldn’t blame Awesome too much. “…And you know, bro, I could be asking the same thing. Like, maybe there was a reason you came down here for a drink, other than just for the flavor?”

“…” The commander scowled, squeezing his cup slightly. “I’m not the one having nightmares here.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Awesome flinch once more, gritting his teeth slightly now. “…Shut up.”

“I was just making an observation. …Or, I guess the better term for it would be ‘educated guess’.”

“Tc’ch…” So what, had Hater told him about the slip of the tongue reveal Awesome gave when he first woke up in the Skullship sick bay? Or maybe Peepers had just figured it out on his own. Maybe everyone knew, or maybe they were all just really good guessers. “Whatever, dude… If you’re gonna insult me for it then just get it over with. Cause trust me, _I know_.”

He slammed his glass on the counter upside down, lightly shoving it away from him. “I mean, it’s been like five months since- s-since it happened and, come on, I’m _still_ not over it? I’m still having nightmares and-” And still being terrified of _her_ despite the fact that _she_ was gone- “And all that grop. Heh, pretty flarpin’ pathetic, right?” He glared at the counter-top, crossing his arms. “Yeah… Really flarpin’ pathetic…”

Peepers had no answer for him. Sure, there were plenty of things he could’ve said, but at that moment, all he could do was stare… Months ago, he would’ve thought that Awesome wasn’t even capable of insulting himself, of seeing himself as anything less than awesome. But now… He furrowed his eyebrow a bit, remembering how Awesome had insulted himself a bit during his mission too. Humility was definitely a good thing at times, but this…?

“You’re not pathetic,” he told him suddenly, without even thinking about it. Awesome stayed silent, but he did give him a bit of a curious look. Honestly, Peepers was just as surprised at his words as Awesome was, but that didn’t stop him from continuing. 

“Obviously you’re just unused to the feeling of failure, of feeling weak… Sure, you may have lost fights before, but you still had stuff that made you feel like a winner. But now-”

“Now that’s all gone too,” Awesome mumbled, glancing away.

“Right… But at least you’ve got a couple things to replace them. Shelter, for one. New skills, and… Even a couple new allies. So, for what it’s worth, even after everything, you still haven’t completely hit rock bottom yet.” It didn’t sound quite as comforting as Peepers thought it would, but it didn’t sound completely harsh either.

Awesome gave a small sigh. “Yeah, that’s true, I guess…”

Peepers paused before adding one more thing. “And, you know… It’s not as if you were the only one who was hurt by her,” he said slowly, “Or who was scared of her. …Who is scared of her. Something like-” He noticed Awesome start to tense up. “Like… what you had to go through, you don’t just ‘get over it’ after a few months. I’m sure anyone else in your position would still be suffering too, so you don’t need to see it as a flaw or weakness. At least, not as a personal one.”

The shark-man didn’t give a reply to that, but he did relax slightly. “…It’s still a pretty sucky thing to deal with, though.”

“Well isn’t that a bit of an understatement,” the commander replied bluntly, and Awesome cracked a smile. 

“Heh, yeah…” His grin fell a bit. “Still… Even if it’s ‘normal’ or whatever to still be feeling this way and, and having nightmares and stuff, I still hope I get over it soon.”

Peepers lowered his gaze a bit. “…Unfortunately, something like this you never completely ‘get over’.” That was according to the research he had read about the subject, at least. The Watchdogs never really showed any signs of PTSD - whether it was because of incredible endurance or they were just too dumb and carefree to let it effect them for too long, Peepers wasn’t sure - but they could all still understand fear and anxiety, at least. “But, just because you may have to continue dealing with it doesn’t mean you can’t improve, or that you can’t find various ways to cope that don’t involve alcohol.”

Honestly, that was a better option than nothing at all. “Maybe…” He glanced over at the commander. “You think you could put that nerd brain to work and, you know… Maybe help me out with that?”

There was a long silence as Peepers thought it over. He picked up his mug again and stared at his brown, liquid-y reflection. Finally, after closing his eye and finishing the drink off, he replied. “I suppose I could.”

Awesome slowly smiled, giving a bit of a nod. “Cool… Cool…”

Peepers rolled his eye slightly. “I’ll take that as a thank you, and you’re welcome.” 

“Heh…” Another moment or two passed before Awesome spoke up again, sitting up slightly now. “…You know what, Peeps?”

“What?” he asked, giving him a bit of a suspicious look now.

“It’s kinda hard believe but, I mean… After that actually pretty good advice sess, plus the fact that you didn’t just start kickin’ me while I was down when I told you, well… That sorta makes you a bro now, don’t you think?”

Peepers blinked. Well, he wasn’t expecting that. “I… guess?”

“Great,” Awesome nodded, “So, now that we’re bros-” He leaned towards them slightly, “How ‘bout I return the favor and you tell me what’s bringin’ you down, and I try to help you out with it? I mean, fair’s fair, right?” Plus, he did genuinely want to know. 

At that instant though, the commander’s curious look twisted into a harsh glare. “Absolutely not.” He started to stand up.

Awesome groaned slightly. “Come on, man! I’m not gonna start makin’ fun of you for it or anything-!”

“There is no problem!” Peepers insisted as he angrily dug Haterzoids after his pocket so he could pay and leave.

He heard the recruit scoff a bit. “Tc’ch, you’re pretty defense for a guy who has no problem…” Peepers slammed his head down, giving the shark a death glare. But while Awesome did back up slightly, his gaze never faltered. “…Come on, Peeps, I mean it. I’m just trying to return a bro-favor, kay? I mean, I might as well. …Gotta keep the ‘allies’ I still have, you know?”

“…” Peepers sighed. He kept the Haterzoids on the counter and took out a couple more to complete his payment, but he did sit back down, now facing away from Awesome. “It’s not exactly something you could understand…”

“Oh yeah? Try me,” he retorted, crossing his buff arms. When Peepers didn’t say anything, and continued not saying for nearly a minute, Awesome decided to help him out and give him a starting point. “What made you want to come down here for a drink, and then just turn around and go back to throwin’ yourself into your paperwork?” Usually when people were down and wanted a distraction, they did one or the other, not both. And of course, Peepers’ earlier comment was still floating around in the back of his mind… 

“…First off, what I’m planning on doing is more important than just simple paperwork, even if it does mostly involve documents.” Awesome rolled his eyes but held back any snide remarks. “And second… I just- Ugh…” He clenched his tiny fists slightly. 

“Alright, I _was_ feeling down, and I did need a break from… From everything. But, as soon as I started feeling that bit of relief, I just felt like I needed to be something useful again. I needed to be useful and work and do what I’m supposed to do best. Just do my job while I still-” Peepers stopped himself, but didn’t try to cover up his previous statements, figuring there would be no point in it. So he just sat there, silently scolding himself while Awesome replayed what he’d just heard in his head. 

“So… What exactly’s got you so stressed out?” he asked, “I mean… Heh, come on, I didn’t think I was causing you _that_ much trouble.” He grinned a bit, but it fell when Peepers didn’t give any sort of reaction to his joke. “Are the other soldiers just not pullin’ their weight or somethin’? Or, did the furball decide to start bugging you instead of Hatey-”

Peepers’ eye narrowed a bit. “I almost wish he was bugging him again…” Sure, that would mean going back to slow moving progress and Hater being distracted, but even so…

“Doesn’t really have much of a reason to now though…” Awesome shrugged, shaking his head slightly, “Man, that’s still so weird to me. Never would’ve thought I’d see the day where Hatey actually sorta liked the little dude and let him hang out on his ship.” Sure, they weren’t exactly BFFs or anything like that, but compared to how they used to be, Hater was still much friendlier to Wander than he had been before. Still slightly annoyed by him, but not trying to destroy him at least. Heck, Awesome had even seen him _smile_ around the little weirdo a couple of times! 

…In fact, the more Awesome thought about it, the more he saw the changes the skeletal lord had made in the last few months. “Honestly, never thought I’d see him be smart either. And like, I know he was ‘the greatest’ before but, he’s legit the Greatest in the Galaxy now - and the fact that he’s got the skills and power to actually back it up makes it hard to be mad about it.”

“Right…” Peepers mumbled, his scowl deepening. 

Unfortunately for him, Awesome didn’t really notice. “I mean before, no offense man, but he did kinda seem like a total poser. All that power, but barely any brains. Heck, I’m pretty sure the only other reason why he was able to make it as far up the Leaderboard the first time was because-” He froze. Slowly, his eyes widened in realization.

The only reason Hater had been the number one villain in the Galaxy before Wander came along was both because of his electric powers… and because of Peepers’ plans and strategies. Hater may have been the big bad and the muscle, but Peepers was the brains since his lord was always more focused on the action and gaining glory. But now…

“Oh, dude… Dude, I-”

“It’s fine,” Peepers said sharply, though for once his bitterness wasn’t directed at the shark. He sighed, rubbing his eye. “…It wasn’t so bad, you know?”

“Huh?”

“The ‘new’ Lord Hater… It wasn’t so bad at first. He was so focused, so strong and determined, even after I had totally given up. ‘Can’t run if you want to be Number One, after all’…” He gave a small chuckle at that, though it quickly turned back into a frown. 

“Even after he saved everyone, it wasn’t so bad. Sure he was still chasing after Wander, but we- HE had still saved the Galaxy! He saved all of us. He was actually the hero once and, despite still wanting us to rule, I didn’t really mind. …But, of course, that’s when the big changes started happening. After all, it’s hard to be an ‘evil overlord’ when everyone considers you a hero - though, I don’t think it was very hard for him. He finally got what he really wanted out of all this… To be admired. To be popular. To be liked and, as much as he was still a bit reluctant to admit it, to have friends…”

The commander turned towards Awesome slightly, and gave him a sort of sad smile. “Well… I’d say he has plenty of friends now, don’t you think?” he asked, his nasally voice sorely lacking the volume and bite it usually had, “We haven’t actually conquered anything in ages. Hater just lands on the planet and the rulers are ready to make deals. He’s still a bit rough at that part, sometimes a bit too demanding, but he’s learning fast. All of his new fans around keep him in a good mood…”

“Peepers-” 

“He actually pays attention to the meetings too, can you believe it?” Peepers asked, his smile faltering a bit, “And oh, don’t even get me started on how things have changed with Wander and Sylvia… Once our number one and number two most wanted, now just are usually invited guests. They still surprise us or sneak on board occasionally, but it’s never a big deal anymore… Hater’s got everything under control…”

“Peeps, dude-” Awesome started to say again, but Peepers just turned to the bartender, lifting up his mug. The Watchdog immediately took it back over to the coffee machine, though both of them saw him pour a bit of extra ‘flavor’ into the drink as a sort of courtesy, probably out of pity, but neither one said anything. 

“I guess I was somewhat warned about this,” he continued as the bartender returned his drink, “Hmph, though I wouldn’t exactly call him ‘Wanderized’ now. But he is more mature now, more effective… A better Hater. One that can easily rule on his own-”

“Alright, dude, enough,” Awesome said firmly. Before Peepers could even argue, he placed a hand over the mug and pulled it away from him. For a moment, he was actually thankful for the flash of anger in the commander’s eye. “I’m puttin’ a stop to this pity party right now. Cause trust me, those are the _worst_ type of parties.”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked,” Peepers snapped, glaring now, but Awesome didn’t back down.

“Yeah, i know, but a bro doesn’t just listen,” he retorted, “So now it’s your turn to listen: Yeah, Hatey’s a better lord now and legit and not much of an actual villain, but that doesn’t mean he’s about to dump you or whatever. Trust me, he still needs you.”

“Oh yeah right!” the commander argued as he stood up on the bar stool again, “You said it yourself, he really is the Greatest, and in the end he did it all by himself! So, reason stands that he can continue being great on his own!” Giving a huff, he turned away. “Hmph, and honestly, if he does actually need help, I’m sure Wander would be more than happy to provide…”

Awesome paused for a moment. “…Yeah, you’re right. Knowing that furball, he’d offer his help the moment Hatey needed it. …One problem though.”

Slowly, Peepers looked back over at him. “What’s that?”

“He’s not his commander, or his bro. …Well, maybe not yet but, come on, nothing can really replace a best bro.”

“Oh please,” he mumbled, rolling his eye.

“I’m serious, man!” Awesome told him, reaching over and gently turning the eyeball back towards him, “And look, yeah, Hatey’s been winning a lot lately, but eventually grop’s gonna start going wrong, or he’s gonna get mad at something stupid, or whatever! Yeah he’s better but, come on, he still acts like his usual dorky self half the time! Eventually, he is gonna need some help, and if I had to choose the dude who used to be my enemy or the guy who’s always got my back, I’m gonna choose the latter!”

“…” Wincing slightly, Peepers stared at him, not quite as angry as before but still somewhat unsure.

So, Awesome added, “Besides… If he really didn’t like having you around, don’t you think he would’ve replaced you with another commander by now, or heck, just zap you across the Galaxy if he was really mad at you?”

Peepers glanced down slightly. There had only been one instance where Hater had gotten rid of him, and even that only lasted a day. And, surprisingly, there had been small changes after that, as well…

With a small sigh, he finally gave a reply. “I… suppose you make some good points.”

Awesome smiled a bit. “I’ll take that as a thank you, and you’re welcome.”

“Oh shut up.” The shark-man just chuckled, letting go of his head. “Ugh… Maybe I was overreacting a bit.”

“Yeah well, welcome to the club, dude,”

“You have a legitimate reason.”

“And so did you, man. I just had to help you deal with it. Just returning the favor, remember?”

“…Right.” After a moment, Peepers leaned forward and snatched his mug back. He caught Awesome’s ‘Seriously?’ look, but replied with “I don’t like wasting things. And besides, even if I am awake for the next couple hours, maybe I could still lay down at least.” Maybe he didn’t have to pull an all-nighter again, since it wasn’t really called for. The work would still be there in the morning.

Awesome nodded in approval. “Sounds good to me… I’ll probably head back to my room and chill too. Maybe put on some music or whatever, just to get my mind of… of stuff.”

“A very good plan, then,” Peepers replied, “Audio stimulus usually has a positive effect on dreams. Perhaps I could even make you a couple of CDs based on the tracks I know of that have proven to be effective.” After a moment, he gave a small smirk. “So, do you need help finding your way back to your room? I’m sure I could provide you find a map, at least-”

“Nah, I know where to find it,” Awesome told him, shooting him an annoyed glare as he gave his bar stool a small kick. Come on, it wasn’t like he got lost THAT often! “Ugh, dumb nerd.”

“That’s a contradiction.” “You’re just proving my point, dude.”

It wasn’t long before Peepers finished up his drink, paid for it and was ready to go. But just as he started to get up, Awesome caught his attention with an extended fist. Peepers stared at it for a moment, and then hopped down, walking away. Though, before he even reached the doorway, he did glance back at him.

“…Goodnight, Private Awesome.”

“Heh…” Awesome smiled a bit. At least it hadn’t been a total diss. “Goodnight, Commander Peepers.”

**THE END**


End file.
